EPC celebrates World Press Freedom Day

The EPC applauds the UN for its attempt to:

• Celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
  
• Assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
  
• Defend the media from attacks on their independence;
  
• Pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

"Press freedom is vital for democracy and is an essential vehicle for freedom of expression, a right enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights. The EPC works to protect this right every day, working with legislators and policy-makers in the EU to guarantee a free and diverse press in Europe. This freedom is not something we can take for granted. As we see in Hungary*, even in Europe there is a regime intent on limiting freedom of expression and freedom of the press," said EPC executive director Angela Mills Wade.

"But not only do we fight against political threats but also economic ones; ensuring that the media is commercially viable is extremely important. It is essential that the media, traditional and new, are able to build sustainable business models to fund quality, authoritative and diverse content. In particular, we are working to make it easier for copyright to work online so that all content owners, from the individual to the largest corporation, can express their rights and, if desired, expect payment for their work. A successful, economically-viable press is necessary for freedom of expression to thrive."

*Concerns about Hungary were recently highlighted by Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission, EU Justice Commissioner before the European Parliament.